Pottery making machine



Dec. 10, 1940;

G. w. LANE EIAL' POTTERY MAKING MACHINE 2 SheetsSHeet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1938 ATTORNEYS G. w. LANE ETAL POTTERY MAKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gin Zane m vzmona ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE;

POTTERY MACHINE George W. Lane, Canonsburg, and Ralph Malarkey, Meatlowlands,Ya. r r I Application August 5, 1938, Serial No. 223,356 I 1 Claim. (c1. 25-24) This invention relates to pottery making machines the present embodiment of the invention being particularly designed for forming articles such as cups and the like from plastic clay preparatory to final finishing thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine in which a stationary cam is employed to lower the shaping tools into operative position at a certain point in the rotation of the mold supporting table.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this type in which the molds are rotated axially on the table when-they arrive at a predetermined point ofeach complete revolution of the table, and during such axial rotation of the molds the shaping tools are lowered to operative position by the stationary cam.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this type in which the shaping tools are provided with scrapers for removing excess material from the articles being formed.

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which a water jet will intercept each mold at a predetermined point in its circular orbit around the cam for wetting the article being shaped.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts; which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a pottery making machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1 with portions broken away and parts removed,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view showing'one of the molds and a related shaping tool moved by the cam into operative position relatively to the mold.

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation showing the water spray.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view with parts in elevation showing one of the molds,shaping tool,

from the center of which rises a 1 H which is equipped at the top and'scraping tool carried thereby for removing excess material from the article being shaped.

Referring now to the drawings in whichlike characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, it! designates a base plate stationary post with a cam l2 thelatter being secured stationary through the medium of screws l3 or other connectors; As

' best shownjin Figure 1 the edge of the cam is circular through an angular advance of about 270 degrees and the cam is provided for the remaining degrees with a substantially triangular shaped lobe H. i v

A tubular shaft I5 is sleeved upon the post ll and is equipped at the bottom with a worm gear l6 which meshes with a worm l1 carried by a stub shaft l8 which is connected to a driving shaft l9 through the medium of a belt drive 20, as shown inFigurel. ,The driving shaft is driven through the, medium of an electric motor 2|, the shaft of which is connected to the driving shaft I 8 by a belt drive' 22. A circular table .23 is keyed to the tubular shaft as shown at 24 in Figure 2 and is equipped with a circular series of verticale ly disposed rotatably mounted stub shafts 24', disposed'concentric with the axis of rotation of the table and projecting above and below the table. Each shaft is equipped above the table r to the base plate In and is driven from the drlv- 35 ing shaft through the medium A stand shaft 29 is housed in driven by the reduction gear mechanism; The stand shaft is equipped at the top with a pulley 3| over which and loose'pulleys 32 arranged on respective stand shafts 33, mounted in respective housings 34, a belt drive" 35 is trained, as best shown in Figure 1. Preferably the belt drive 35 is formed cftwo belts of V-shaped cross section fitting in corresponding grooves in the pulleys 21 and 32, and likewise the pulleys 26 of the mold rotating shafts 24 are formed with a pair of grooves. The arrangement is such that whilein the present embodiment eight molds are shown, onlya group of three of the molds will be simultaneously driven since the belt drive 35 and pulleys 2 and 32 are arranged to hold the belt out of engagement with thepulleys of five oi the molds while holding the belt drive in engagement with the pulleys of three of the molds located of a belt drive. a casing .30 and is tool II into engagement with the plastic material next adjacent each other at a point substantially midway betweezi the pull 21 o! the reduction gear mechanism and the ne of the pulleys 32, during one complete revolution of the table It.

Simultaneously with axial rotation of a group of the molds, shaping tools are applied to the matei'ial in the molds if! will now be described. A platform 3| is secured to the table and surrounds the stationary post I I below the cam l2.

Pivotallymounted on the'platform near the edge thereof andadjacent respective molds is a plurality of tool holders 8'! having respective upstanding inclined rods I. which rideon the edge of the cam 12. During a portion of the rotation of the table the rods will ride on the circularedge of the cam so that the tool holdersremain stationary but during the remaining portion. of the revolution, namely, when thegroup of molds is being rotated axially, the rods oi the tool holders adjacent the rotating molds will ride on the triangular camlobe l4 and lower the outer end of the tool holder to bring the respective shaping and shape the material in the mold, then lift the tool.

Each shaping tool comprises a shank 40 which is adjustably mounted in the respective tubular holder I! through the medium of a set screw ll. 'I'he shank is slotted at the outer end and the stem 42 of the shaping tool is adjustably secured to the shank ll through the medium of Ian adjusting fin bolt 43 passed through the slot in the shank. The stem is equipped at the lower end with the conventional blade 44 having a contour desired to be imparted to the' plastic material in the mold.

while each shaping tool is performingits operation on the material in the respective mold a scraper 45, best shown in Figure 5, operates to remove excess material. from the plastic article ward movement of the scraper blade 4! when the respective shaping tool is lifted from the mold bythe rod 18 thereof riding on to the circular edge of the cam coincident with the pull of a respective coiled spring which is connected to the platform 38 and to the inner end of thetool holder 31. g i

As best shown in Figures 1 and 4 a spray nozzle 52 is pivotally secured to the .upper end of a standard 53 which is located laterally of the table at a predetermined point in the rotation of the table to spray the material in the molds successively as the axially rotating molds pass the spray nozzle duringrotation of the table. The spray nozzle may be of any conventional type provided with a manually controlled valve I4 and also provided with an automatic valve the stem 55 of which is intercepted by the ends of the tool holder shanks to open the valve as a mold arrives in front of the nozzle.

Radially disposed partitions ll are secured to the table between adjacent molds to prevent plastic material escaping from one mold on to the next succeeding mold.

In operation the material to be shaped is placed in the molds and the motor 2| started. The table 23 is driven through the worm l1 and worm gear.

it at a predetermined speed while at the same time the belt drive II rotates, in the present em- 8imulbodiment, three of the molds axially. taneously therewith, the rods 38 of the shaping tools of these molds have wiping engagement with the triangular lobe ll of the stationary cam which progressively lowers the shaping tool into the mold, the controlling spring 5i raising the shaping tool out of the mold as the rod recedes along the lobe from the apex thereof. The material ih the axially rotating molds is sprayed with water as each mold passes the spray nozzle II. When, the shaping tool is lowered the associated scraping tool will simultaneously be lowered into engagement with the top edge of the mold and the plastic material therein and will ride on the top edge to remove surplus material as the shaping blade 44 of the shaping tool moves downward within the article to be shaped in the mold. When the shaping tool is withdrawn the collar 50 of the scraping tool will engage the bracket arm ll and lift the scraping tool to released position.

From the abovedescription it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.. i

What is claimed is:

In a pottery making machine, a rotary platform, a mould on the platform,-a stationary cam i at the center of the platform above the mould, a

tubular holder pivotally mounted on the platform between the cam and the mould, a spring connected to the holder and to the platform normally holding the holder in released position, an

upwardly inclined rod ilxed to the holder. engaging the cam to rock the holder to operative position against the tension of said spring, a shank adjustably mounted in the holder, a stem adjustably secured to the free end of the shank, a blade on the stem having a contour desired to be imparted to plastic material in the mould, a

laterally extending bracket arm secured to said stem, a second stem mounted to slide on the bracket arm, a scraper blade on the secondnamed stem shaped to remove excess material from the upper edge of the mould simultaneously with the shaping of the article by the shaping blade, a stop collar on the second-named stem adapted to engage the bracket arm for limiting GEORGE W. LANE. RALPH ,MALARKEY. 

